Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...I was away the past two weekends, first at the TCM Classic Film Festival and then at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival. I'll be posting overviews of both festivals as soon as possible, but in the meantime, here is a gigantic news roundup!

...The Warner Archive Collection has announced its June Blu-ray releases. Titles include ROSE-MARIE (1936), STRANGE CARGO (1940), COME LIVE WITH ME (1941), THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944), NIGHT AND DAY (1946), and, best of all, LETTY LYNTON (1932).

...Upcoming June Blu-ray releases from Kino Lorber Studio Classics include James Garner in A MAN COULD GET KILLED (1966), Marcel Bozzuffi -- a familiar face in numerous French noir films -- in VERTIGO FOR A KILLER (1970), and Gregory Peck in MACARTHUR (1977).

...And coming in July from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: Denzel Washington in FLIGHT RISK (2012) and the Brit Noir Collection III.

...Over at 50 Westerns From the 50s, Toby Roan reports there's a rumor THE BOUNTY HUNTER (1954), starring Randolph Scott and Marie Windsor, may possibly be coming to Blu-ray.

...I reported in February that one of Film Masters' upcoming releases is Shirley Temple in A LITTLE PRINCESS (1939). Home Theater Forum says it will be a new scan; there will not be extras but that it will be close-captioned. I will be reviewing this disc in the next few weeks.

...I'll insert a note here that, after being gone much of April and early May, I have a great many pending disc reviews; some discs are already here and others are on the way to me. Stay tuned! First up will be NIGHT WORLD (1932) from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, which will be released this week.

...I wish I could visit the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York this summer, as the museum is hosting a fantastic series of Universal Westerns from June 5th through July 3rd. The lineup includes the delightful, rarely seen TRAIL OF THE VIGILANTES (1940) with Franchot Tone and the terrific APACHE DRUMS (1951), produced by Val Lewton. Toby Roan lists some of his favorite picks from the series at 50 Westerns From the 50s.

...Actress Eve Plumb has a new book: HAPPINESS INCLUDED: JAN BRADY AND BEYOND, from Kensington Publishing. Related story: Tours are now available of the actual Brady Bunch home, which as been meticulously reconstructed. 

...The Hollywood Reporter has published a great interview Chris Yogerst conduction with Charlotte Barker, director of film restoration at Paramount Pictures. I've had the pleasure of meeting Charlotte, and she deeply loves movies and knows her stuff.

...The June streaming lineup for the Criterion Channel includes a trio of James Bond films and memorable movie weddings...I also want to recommend a Criterion essay by the always-great Imogen Sara Smith, "Far From Home: Three Noirs by Jacques Tourneur," published in conjunction with a current Criterion Channel collection.

...The latest CineSavant Blu-ray disc reviews from Glenn Erickson at Trailers From Hell include CRACK-UP (1946) from the Warner Archive Collection, the Brit Noir Collection I from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, MILLION DOLLAR LEGS (1932) from Universal Pictures, and THE BIG COMBO (1955) from Ignite Films. I was particularly interested that Erikson liked CRACK-UP much more than he did when he last saw it in 2010; I like it quite well myself.

...As a fan of the Fast and Furious movie series, I enjoyed this new interview with Jordana Brewster. The eleventh and final film in the series, FAST FOREVER, is due out in March 2028.

...A public hearing was held on the closed Cinerama Dome theater in Hollywood last week. Variety and IndieWire have reports.

...Also from IndieWire: "The Golden Age of Repertory Cinema is Now."

...Anne Hockens, Communications Director of the Film Noir Foundation, has put together a list of French film noir recommendations at Letterboxd...Incidentally, there's a fun shoutout from Anne and Eddie Muller in their latest "Ask Eddie" conversation on YouTube, around the 28-minute mark...And did you know that Anne puts together a Letterboxd list of all the films she and Eddie discuss in their chats?  Here's the May 14th list.

...More recent film reviews I've enjoyed reading: James L. Neibaur has reviewed the new Kino Lorber Blu-rays THE MAN WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD (1934) and BEND OF THE RIVER (1952)...Colin's latest review at Riding the High Country is of FLAMINGO ROAD (1949)...at Comet Over Hollywood Jessica Pickens has reviewed TWO THOROUGHBREDS (1939) and I'LL GET BY (1951)...at The Hannibal 8 Toby reviews the Ma and Pa Kettle Complete Comedy Collection...Tynan of 4 Star Films reviews the fondly recalled SUMMER SCHOOL (1987) starring Mark Harmon..and here's a look at movies watched in April at Phyllis Loves Classic Movies.

...This summer the Academy Museum's David Geffen Theater will host a 16-film VistaVision series from August 20th through 31st.

...Stay tuned to the Cinecon website for news on this year's festival, to be held Labor Day weekend, September 3rd through 7th, at the Nuart Theatre.

...Sadly, the Columbus Moving Picture Show has announced their 2026 event -- to be held from May 21st through 24th -- will be the last one. The announcement cited the current hotel location eliminating its event staff, along with "an aging base, increasing costs, and lack of viable venues."

...Notable Passings: I was sorry to recently learn of the passing last fall of film historian Les Adams, whose 1978 book SHOOT-EM-UPS, cowritten with Buck Rainey, was an early addition to my film book library. I shared a little about the book a couple years ago in one of my Western Film Book Library columns at Classic Movie Hub...Ted Turner has died at 87. He had a widely varied life and career, but for classic film fans the most important aspect of his history was the creation of Turner Classic Movies...Film critic Rex Reed has died at 87. Here are obituaries from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

...More Notable Passings: Mariclare Costello, who played teacher Rosemary Hunter on THE WALTONS from 1972-77 (as seen here), has died at 90.  She was the widow of actor Allan Arbus...Broadway dancer Bambi Linn, who created the role of Louise in the original production of CAROUSEL (1945) and danced on screen in both OKLAHOMA! (1955) and CAROUSEL (1956), has passed on at 100...Actress-singer Claudine Longet, the one-time wife of Andy Williams who was embroiled in an infamous shooting in the '70s, has died at 84...Former ONE LIFE TO LIVE actress Jennifer Harmon, who also acted on Broadway, has died at 82...Child actor Dennis Rush (MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES) has passed on at 74...

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my April 25th column.

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Quick Preview of TCM in June

It's become increasingly challenging to share advance information on upcoming Turner Classic Movies schedules due to less information being accessible ahead of the complete schedule being published.

Some readers will remember when I was able to preview schedules weeks, if not months, in advance. That is currently not an option, but between several sources, including a TCM press release, I've been able to cobble together a preview for the June schedule. There's quite a bit of interesting information to share!

Marilyn Monroe will be the June Star of the Month, in honor of her centennial.

Monroe was born June 1, 1926, and TCM's series will begin on her birthday, then continue for the next two Mondays, June 8th and 15th.

The TCM Spotlight will feature disaster films on Wednesday evenings.

The June Noir Alley films are THE BLUE DAHLIA (1946), BLACKOUT (1954), THE MAN I LOVE (1946), and STOLEN FACE (1952).

More notably, Noir Alley's Eddie Muller will be hosting "Summer of Darkness: Eddie Muller's Top 25" on Friday nights in June and July.

Regular TCM viewers will fondly recall the Summer of Darkness title from a series Muller hosted a decade or so ago. This time around Muller will be hosting his "personal selections of the greatest film noir titles ever made." This is a series which will be greatly enjoyed by many of us.

Also coming in June will be an evening with Steven Spielberg and a "Summer Romance" series on Sundays.

Filmmakers receiving multifilm tributes in June will included Mel Brooks, George Roy Hill, and Andy Griffith.

June programming themes will include literary adventures, "blues" in the movies, '60s musicals, musical biopics, Edith Wharton, dobermans, and neo-noir.

If I learn any additional information of import in the near future, I'll update this post; otherwise be looking for complete information on TCM's June schedule here around June 1st.

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Tonight's Movie: The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)

In the very early days of this blog I reviewed THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006).

It seemed almost surreal this week to revisit the same characters, two decades on, in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 (2026).

Although I sometimes tire of the frequent lack of originality in current cinema offerings, I must admit that I really looked forward to this sequel, and I'm glad to say I found it quite enjoyable.

The movie isn't quite on a par with the original -- among other things, it's not as funny, though there are some nice chuckles scattered throughout -- but I found it engrossing and I enjoyed spending more time with the familiar characters.

The entire main cast is reunited: Meryl Streep as imperious magazine editor Miranda; Anne Hathaway as her former assistant, Andy Sachs, who is now a journalist; Emily Blunt as another former assistant, Emily, who now works for Dior; and Stanley Tucci as Miranda's reliable righthand man, the sarcastic yet kind Nigel.

Also returned is Tracie Thomas as Andy's best friend, the artistic Lily. Miranda's twins (Colleen and Suzanne Dengel) can even be briefly glimpsed during a party scene.

However, there's no sign of Andy's one-time boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier), which means she's available for a tentative new relationship with Peter (Patrick Brammall). On hand for the first time, along with Peter, is Kenneth Branagh as Miranda's supportive husband, Stuart.

The plot, in a nutshell, finds Miranda's RUNWAY magazine in dire need of a smart writer/features editor just when Andy is unexpectedly out of a job.

The film delves into our current-day media scene, with its bankruptcies, mergers, cost cuts, and other changes in a way that seems timely. One may question whether a fashion magazine is worthy of all the energy the characters spend on saving it, but Miranda, Andy, and Nigel think so, and their dedication makes things interesting.

I have a feeling I wouldn't care a great deal for Andy were I to meet her, as she can be annoyingly self-absorbed, but like Streep's fascinatingly obnoxious Miranda, she's interesting. I'd add that none of the main characters in the movie seem particularly happy with life, including leading lady Andy.

Blunt's Emily is particularly fun, given that she's now in a position to make Miranda's life difficult as she threatens to withdraw Dior advertising from the magazine. She's also now the divorced mother of two children, who are mostly offscreen; in this way she seems to be following in Miranda's footsteps. Emily's interactions with Andy are among the most enjoyable scenes in the movie.

For me the MVP of the film, as with the first film, is Tucci, who is by turns biting, funny, supportive, and touching.

Lucy Liu is way underused as a wealthy woman interviewed by the magazine, and Justin Theroux is her ex, best described as a dumb tech genius.

Like the original movie, this sequel was written by Aline Brosh McKenna based on the characters created by novelist Lauren Weisberger. Director David Frankel and cinematographer Florian Ballhaus have also returned.

The movie runs 119 minutes.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13 for profanity.

A trailer may be viewed here.

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Tonight's Movie: Maigret Sees Red (1963) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

I've returned from spending most of two weeks at back-to-back film festivals, and coverage of both fests will be coming as soon as possible.

First, though, a couple of film reviews!

Regular readers know that I've fallen under the spell of French film noir and crime films, mostly thanks to an ongoing series of releases by Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

Kino Lorber's latest release in this genre is MAIGRET SEES RED (1963), known in France as MAIGRET VOIT ROUGE.

The film is a police procedural starring Jean Gabin as Police Commissioner Jules Maigret. It's actually the third film in a series, and Kino Lorber will release all three films in June as part of a three-film Maigret collection. MAIGRET SETS A TRAP (1958) and MAIGRET AND THE ST. FIACRE CASE (1959) will be boxed with MAIGRET SEES RED.

I won't know until I watch those first two films if I missed anything significant ahead of viewing MAIGRET SEES RED, but it didn't feel like it. I enjoyed the film from the first moments, as a car drives through a gleaming black-and-white Paris, accompanied by a jazzy score. (The composers were Michel Legrand and Francis Lemarque.)

As the movie begins, a group of American mobsters gun down a man on a Paris sidewalk -- but when the police arrive, the body is gone. This strange happening is compounded when police inspector Longnon (Guy Decomble) is briefly kidnapped and beaten to tell what he knows of the incident.

Commissioner Maigret (Gabin) is soon heading the case, aided by Longnon, Torrence (Marcel Bozzufi), and other hardworking members of the police force. As the body count grows, Maigret gradually uncovers a plot by the mobsters to kill an important witness.

There may be nothing particularly remarkable about this film, directed by Gabin's longtime collaborator Gilles Grangier, but I found it a very pleasing 87 minutes.

In my review of TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI (1954) I mused on what makes Jean Gabin so interesting to watch, saying in part "...he commands attention. There's a certain confidence to his performances...including the sense that his characters know a great deal."

That was certainly the case here. This quiet, burly man, passing middle age, should ostensibly not engender such confidence in the viewer, but he certainly does. It's clear from the way he carries himself and speaks to others that he has a wealth of knowledge and knows what he's doing.

I love the way he's gently encouraging with Lognon, who is embarrassed by having given the bad guys information as they started to knock out his teeth. In contrast, one of my favorite scenes comes late in the film when he's being tailed by the gangsters; he calmly heads into a business and calls his station, barking out orders for the plan he's instantly put together.

There are some really interesting odds and ends in the film, such as the bowling alley patronized by Americans and a cash register which pops up a coded signal on multiple occasions. I also enjoyed the glimpses of the era; when Maigret visits the American embassy, there's a portrait of JFK in the background.

The American mobster angle means there's quite a bit of English in the film, including interesting multi-lingual exchanges between Maigret and his old friend, diplomat Harry McDonald (Paul Carpenter), another unusual element.

I found this film, which on one level is a fairly ordinary police procedural, completely enjoyable, with a very "noir" tone. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will watch it again, and I'm very much looking forward to the other two films being available in the near future.

The Blu-ray print is a 4K restoration from Studiocanal. It looks terrific, showing off the black and white cinematography of Louis Page, and sound quality is good as well.

This is a Special Edition with a cardboard slipcase. Extras consist of a trailer; a gallery of trailers for nine other films available from Kino Lorber; and a commentary track by Simon Abrams.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...is taking the weekend off.

This weekend I'm attending the annual Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in Palm Springs.

It's been a busy time, as last weekend I was at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

The column will return next weekend, on May 16th.

For recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my April 25th column.

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New Western RoundUp Column at Classic Movie Hub

My newest Western RoundUp column has been posted at Classic Movie Hub.

In this month's column I share one of my periodic tributes to Western filmmakers via visits to their final resting places.

Please click over to Classic Movie Hub to read the column, which includes a number of photographs, and many thanks for reading!

Previous Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp Column Links: June 2018; July 2018; August 2018; September 2018; October 2018; November 2018; December 2018; January 2019; February 2019; April 5, 2019; April 30, 2019; May 2019; June 2019; July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; November 2019; December 2019; January 2020; February 2020; March 2020; April 2020; May 2020; June 2020; July 2020; August 2020; September 2020; October 2020; November 2020; December 2020; January 2021; February 2021; March 2021; May 2021; June 2021; June 2021 (No. 2); July 2021; August 2021; September 2021; November 2021; December 2021; December 2021 (No. 2); January 2022; February 2022; March 2022; April 2022; May 2022; June 2022; July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; November 2022; November 2022 (No. 2); January 2023 (No. 1); January 2023 (No. 2); March 2023; April 2023; May 2023 (No. 1); May 2023 (No. 2); June 2023; July 2023; September 2023; September 2023 (No. 2); October 2023; November 2023; December 2023; January 2024; February 2024; March 2024; April 2024; May 2024; June 2024; July 2024; August 2024; September 2024; October 2024; November 2024; December 2024; January 2025; February 2025; March 2025; April 2025; May 2025; June 2025; July 2025; August 2025; September 2025; October 2025; November 2025; January 2026 (No. 1); January 2026 (No. 2); February 2026; March 2026.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...is taking the weekend off.

This weekend I'm attending the annual TCM Classic Film Festival!

The column will also not appear next weekend, when I'll be at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival.

I'll have reporting on both festivals here as soon as possible, given my time away.

Around the Blogosphere This Week will return on Saturday, May 16th.

In the meantime, please visit my most recent April 25th roundup column here.

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TCM in May: Highlights

It's time for a look at the May schedule on Turner Classic Movies!

Gregory Peck is the May Star of the Month. Approximately 20 Peck films will be shown spread across Friday evenings this month.

The May Noir Alley films will be DRUNKEN ANGEL (1948) on May 2nd and 3rd, THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (1946) on the 9th and 10th, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951) May 16th-17th, and HOUSE OF NUMBERS (1957) on the 30th and 31st.

I love the May Special Theme, focusing on Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu every Tuesday evening. Several Ozu films will have their TCM premieres, including the new TCM documenary THE OZU DIARIES (2025), plus WHAT DID THE LADY FORGET? (1937), BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE TODA FAMILY (1941), FLAVOR OF GREEN TEA OVER RICE (1952), which is seen in this photo, and more.

Details on the entire Ozu series may be found in this TCM press release, and I encourage those interested to print out the Ozu schedule included in the release, as this is a very special series. (Seen here, Setsuko Hara in LATE SPRING.)

THE OZU DIARIES will also be shown at this month's TCM Classic Film Festival, and I hope to see it there.

The TCM Spotlight will be focused on biographies of Hollywood filmmakers on Wednesday, with films including MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES (1957), TOO MUCH, TOON SOON (1958), and GABLE AND LOMBARD (1976).

As usual, there is also special May programming for Mother's Day (May 10th) and Memorial Day Weekend (May 22nd-25th).

Below are just a few of this month's highlights. Please click on any hyperlinked title for my extended review.

...A six-film daytime birthday tribute to Glenn Ford on May 1st is followed by the first evening of Gregory Peck films, including Hitchcock's SPELLBOUND (1945), costarring Ingrid Bergman.

...Amy Irving and Peter Riegert star in the romance CROSSING DELANCEY (1988) on Saturday evening, May 2nd.

...The 70th anniversary of John Ford's THE SEARCHERS (1956) will be marked by TCM on Sunday evening, May 3rd.

...A day of 1950s sci-fi on May 4th includes one of my very favorites of that genre, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953). My favorite scene has Lee Van Cleef (seen here) as an army sharpshooter trying to take out the beast, who's atop a flaming roller coaster!

...The May 6th schedule features tap dancing, including Eleanor Powell in BROADWAY MELODY OF 1936 (1935) and BORN TO DANCE (1936).

...An interesting series on May 7th, continuing on May 14th, is "games people play," with movies featuring various types of games.  The lineup on May 7th includes one of Audie Murphy's very best films, NO NAME ON THE BULLET (1959), in which he plays chess with Charles Drake.

...The second evening of Gregory Peck films, on May 9th, includes William Wyler's excellent THE BIG COUNTRY (1958). I must confess, however, that I find Charlton's Heston's anti-hero character more interesting than Peck's hero!

...There's a terrific lineup for Mother's Day on May 10th, including (of course!) MILDRED PIERCE (1945). I especially recommend I REMEMBER MAMA (1948), which I revisited last year for the first time in many years; I came away thoroughly impressed with it.

...A day of films from director Edward Dmytryk on May 11th includes a "B" movie I enjoyed, SEVEN MILES FROM ALCATRAZ (1942), starring James Craig and Bonita Granville.

...I've seen every one of the nine film noir and crime titles TCM is airing during the day on May 12th; it's a great day to stay home and watch movies, one after the other! That evening, the Yasujiro Ozu films include the title that might be my favorite of many great Ozu movies, EARLY SUMMER (1951), starring the great Setsuko Hara.

...May 14th features crime films, including the entertaining WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS (1956), with Dana Andrews heading an all-star cast.

...10 pre-Code melodramas will be shown on May 15th. I've seen most of them, and it's another great day of viewing, including the film which is perhaps my very favorite pre-Code, MIDNIGHT MARY (1933). MIDNIGHT MARY stars Loretta Young, Franchot Tone, and Ricardo Cortez.

...Rodgers and Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC (1958) is a perfect Sunday afternoon musical, showing on May 17th. I find it's a much better film than is generally recognized.

...The May 18th theme is "sisters," with a terrific lineup including TWO GIRLS AND A SAILOR (1944), LITTLE WOMEN (1933), MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), and THE MAKIOKA SISTERS (1983).

...1950s musicals are the daytime lineup on May 19th, including enjoyable films such as THE BELLE OF NEW YORK (1952), DUCHESS OF IDAHO (1950), and STRICTLY DISHONORABLE (1951). A Mario Lanza film I recently enjoyed, FOR THE FIRST TIME (1959), is also part of the lineup, and I'm intrigued by a film I've never before seen, BRING YOUR SMILE ALONG (1955), starring Frankie Laine, Keefe Brasselle, and Constance Towers.

...There's a great lineup of movies directed by Nicholas Ray on May 20th, including ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1952), starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino.

...The "Counting Up" theme on May 21st begins with ONE MILLION B.C. (1940). Every film has a number in the title, including one of my very favorite films, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954).

...On Friday evening, May 22nd, the Memorial Day weekend war film marathon begins by overlapping with an evening of Gregory Peck Star of the Month movies, with a lineup that includes MACARTHUR (1977) and THE GUNS OF NAVARONE (1961).

...The films on May 23rd include the very good THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944), starring Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson. It's of note that Tracy and Johnson had also combined for the previous war film A GUY NAMED JOE (1943), which made Johnson a star. I saw A GUY NAMED JOE last year at the TCM Classic Film Festival and enjoyed my revisit.

...The war films on May 24th include PRIDE OF THE MARINES (1945), an excellent film starring John Garfield and Eleanor Parker.

...Memorial Day, on May 25th, will include a showing of one of the very greatest war films, William Wellman's BATTLEGROUND (1949) -- which coincidentally also stars Van Johnson.

...The Ozu films on May 26th include the first of his films I ever saw, EQUINOX FLOWER (1958). Clearly I liked it very much, as it started me down the path of viewing many more Ozu movies in the years since.

...I really enjoy THE LAST OF MRS. CHEYNEY (1937), a very entertaining romance starring Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, and William Powell. It airs on May 28th.

For more on TCM in May, please visit my Quick Preview of TCM in May along with TCM's online schedule.

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Tonight's Movie: Honky Tonk (1941) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

HONKY TONK (1941), an excellent example of '40s MGM star power, was just released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

Clark Gable stars as Candy Johnson, a con man of sorts who arrives in a new frontier town with his partner Sniper (Chill Wills) and promptly falls head over heels for young Elizabeth (Lana Turner), whom he'd first met on the train.

Elizabeth believes her father (Frank Morgan), whom she hasn't seen in years, is a respectable judge, but he's actually an old friend of Candy's who has a crooked past himself.

Candy gradually wins over Elizabeth, especially after he donates money to a church, and they marry, to the dismay of her father.

It's a long, winding road to Candy and Elizabeth finding happiness, not to mention Candy finding honesty, but by the end of the movie's 105 minutes, they seem to finally have made it.

The screenplay was written by Marguerite Roberts and John Sanford and a host of uncredited contributors, including James Edward Grant.

The story honestly could have had more substance, as it somewhat meanders along; that said, the film is mostly given over to the Gable-Turner relationship and they absolutely sizzle together, so I suppose that's really all that matters!

One wonders if the theme of the sweet young girl inspiring a rascal to reform had strong input from writer Grant, given the theme of his great John Wayne-Gail Russell Western ANGEL AND THE BADMAN (1947) later in the decade.

I've loved HONKY TONK since my teen years but have to admit Gable's "up to no good" Candy hasn't worn well in some ways, given that he spends most of the movie as an unethical trickster; however, he does have a nice character arc where various circumstances, including the realization of how his behavior has negatively impacted the woman he loves, finally lead him to turn over a new leaf.

And oh, is he ever handsome! Gable's dazzling smile could sell anything. I've written it here before, but truly, he was the King of Hollywood.

As for Turner, her acting here isn't especially developed, but she's absolutely adorable, and she wears beautiful dresses designed by Kalloch; at one point Candy tells Elizabeth "You're prettier than a little white kitten with a blue ribbon on it," and that's more than apt.

In addition to Wills and Morgan, the supporting cast is topped by the great Claire Trevor as a saloon gal with feelings for Candy; Trevor doesn't have enough to do but, as always, she adds to every scene in which she appears.

In the book CLAIRE TREVOR: THE LIFE AND FILMS OF THE QUEEN OF NOIR by Derek Sculthorpe, the author writes that Trevor liked making the film and thought she'd given a good performance, but she was horrified when she attended the premiere and saw how her role had been edited: "I felt they had massacred my part." Despite Trevor's fears it would negatively impact her career, she continued to work steadily, with her great years in film noir still ahead of her.

Marjorie Main is also a key cast contributor, along with Albert Dekker, Henry O'Neill, and Cliff Clark.

The movie was directed by Jack Conway, scored by Franz Waxman, and filmed in black and white by Harold Rosson and the uncredited William H. Daniels.

IMDb indicates the railroad station scenes were filmed in Jamestown, California; as it happens, I was at the famed movie location Railtown in Jamestown just last week and didn't recognize any of the train scenes as being filmed there, though it's possible they were shot at Railtown with temporary sets. For the most part this is very much an "MGM backlot Western."

HONKY TONK was originally released by the Warner Archive Collection on DVD back in 2009.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray print is from a 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original nitrate camera negative. The print is so clear and sharp that I found myself carefully examining the background in the early train station scenes; was it a matte painting or a giant mural? The movie looks and sounds great.

Extras consist of the trailer; the Tom and Jerry cartoon THE MIDNIGHT SNACK (1941); the Our Gang short FIGHTIN' FOOLS (1941) directed by Edward L. Cahn; and most importantly, to my thinking, the April 1946 Lux Radio Theater production of HONKY TONK starring Lana Turner, John Hodiak, and Nina Foch. It's interesting that the radio version didn't appear for half a decade after the movie's release; Turner and Hodiak had previously costarred in MARRIAGE IS A PRIVATE AFFAIR (1944).

Is HONKY TONK the strongest Western ever made? No, but it's nonetheless steadily entertaining, and fans of Gable and Turner will be more than pleased with this great-looking Blu-ray disc.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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